does every one get sick at Disney...

[bjlc57]

i just talked to some one who just came back from WDW.. and they got sick.. and i seem to read here about others getting sick at the parks.. Our trip is within a month, and the covid shots are not readly available in our area.. should be soon..i am concerned.. I am 67 and my wife is 70.. and my one grandchild just seems to catch everything.. We have been planning this trip for 5 years.. no ripping.. please just honest comments..

 

[RememberWhen]

Yes, lots of people get sick. You’ve got a lot of people coming from a lot of different places. Lots who were on airplanes and in airports with lots of other people. The odds of encountering some bugs are very high.

Wash your hands. Try not to touch your face.

Enjoy and have a great trip.

I’m in MA and Covid and flu shots are readily available here. I usually wait until October, but I’m getting mine next week as I have a non-Disney trip coming up. If you can get them, great. If not, try not to stress.

 

[The Mom]

I have never gotten sick at Disney. I'm sure other people can say the same. Covid is not the only infectious disease going around; I am just as concerned about RSV and old-fashioned flu. Plus Norovirus.

As others have said, vaccines are not 100%. Good old-fashioned handwashing - frequently - eating healthy meals even when on vacation, and getting a good night's sleep are just as important.

 

[Andrew25]

Local here. Was worried when I first moved to Orlando that I would be exposing myself to a lot of illnesses and what not with all my travels to the park. Outside of pollen allergies, I really haven't gotten anything major in the past 3 years of living here now.

I have to imagine the airport is a far bigger spreader versus the outdoor parks.

 

[Disstevefan1]

i just talked to some one who just came back from WDW.. and they got sick.. and i seem to read here about others getting sick at the parks.. Our trip is within a month, and the covid shots are not readly available in our area.. should be soon..i am concerned.. I am 67 and my wife is 70.. and my one grandchild just seems to catch everything.. We have been planning this trip for 5 years.. no ripping.. please just honest comments..

Just my opinion...

The shot is useless so don't worry about missing it. Sometimes the shot can make folks think, "I got the shot, I can do anything". The shot cannot stop you from getting sick, you may get less symptoms and get less sick

If you are otherwise heathy 70 and 67 year old's and your grandchild is otherwise healthy you will be fine.

If you got the shot or not, at the parks and resorts, self awareness is the key -
Think like a germophobe.
Try not to touch stuff then touch your face. Just try to touch stuff less (very hard for me)
Use hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE.
Wash your hands more often than is needed when ever you can
I like to carry and use the pocket size Lysol
I have not done the exact research but there are supplements to can take to boost the immune system prior and during your trip.

 

[meggo819]

I got Covid during my last two trips in April 2022 and October 2023. I’m planning to get Covid & flu shots before we go again this November.

 

[poohbear8143]

I have never gotten sick there, but I think your chances are similar to any other crowded environment. Bring a mask maybe for the plane if you are sitting next to a stranger and not your family. Bring travel sized hand sanitizer, wash hands often and don't touch your face with dirty hands. Be mindful of every time you handle a door or railing with your hands. Now if you are in line for a ride and someone near you starts coughing, you really can't do much in that type of situation. As for shots, I would get the flu shot. If you live near a Walgreens they have Covid and flu shots that can be given in one visit to the pharmacy. Since you are older they or your doctor should be able to give you priority. If for nothing else, then for piece of mind. Being sick at disney is no fun.

 

[Chi84]

First and foremost, please follow your doctor’s advice regarding vaccines. Random people on the internet generally do not give the best medical advice.

As far as my personal experience, I’ve made well over 50 trips to WDW starting in the 1980’s including three trips during the pandemic. There were a few times I came home with a cold but never was sick at WDW. So it definitely can be done.

 

[Worldlover71]

It's never any fun to be sick, especially when on vacation, especially-especially not at Disney! (I have a coworker there right now who's sadly not feeling well.) The stress of travel and disruption of sleep patterns probably don't help, but, if you start feeling ill while on vacation, isn't it likely you caught it before you got there? Most illnesses have an incubation period of at least a few days. I know my mother often gets sick after a trip because she picked up something while traveling.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I have never gotten sick at Disney. I'm sure other people can say the same. Covid is not the only infectious disease going around; I am just as concerned about RSV and old-fashioned flu. Plus Norovirus.

As others have said, vaccines are not 100%. Good old-fashioned handwashing - frequently - eating healthy meals even when on vacation, and getting a good night's sleep are just as important.

You are so lucky that you have never gotten sick at WDW. One of us Always got sick on our next to last day at WDW. I don't know why? Maybe it's our immune systems? There are so many people from all over that there is no way to keep from getting sick IMO. Disneyworld is so expensive that if some one gets sick before a trip, I would bet they go anyway rather than waste their money. So many variables can occur when there are so many people from all over.
I'm glad that you have never had to deal with that, but it was just accepted that one of us would get sick.

 

[Ben_since_1971]

I have been going every year since 1997 and I can count on two fingers the number of times I have gotten sick. Both times it was a brief bout with Norovirus that worked its way through my system in less than a day. Not fun, but didn't take away from the trips overall. The last time was at least 10 years ago. Beyond that, I cannot ever remember coming home with a cold or other illness. You should be fine. The odds are very slim you could catch anything.

 

[Lilofan]

Local here. Was worried when I first moved to Orlando that I would be exposing myself to a lot of illnesses and what not with all my travels to the park. Outside of pollen allergies, I really haven't gotten anything major in the past 3 years of living here now.

I have to imagine the airport is a far bigger spreader versus the outdoor parks.

A GI doctor advised once the one area that people touch that is dirtier and nastier than a toilet seat is the hand bars of a supermarket shopping cart. Fortunately the Wegmans we go to has antiseptic wipes at the entrance and every cashier area has Purell hand sanitizer gel. One way some get sick is when they touch their hair and face with their filthy hands.

 

[Lilofan]

I have never gotten sick at Disney. I'm sure other people can say the same. Covid is not the only infectious disease going around; I am just as concerned about RSV and old-fashioned flu. Plus Norovirus.

As others have said, vaccines are not 100%. Good old-fashioned handwashing - frequently - eating healthy meals even when on vacation, and getting a good night's sleep are just as important.

Our family doctor strongly advised senior citizens get the RSV vaccine. He advised if not a senior could end up in the ICU when getting ill.

 

[JIMINYCR]

No, of course not. Some do some dont. I'd guess a larger percentage of guests arrive and leave in fine shape than get sick. There are a variety of reasons why some guests end up ill. Arriving with something started at home but not yet feeling it, picking something up from another guest, being over active and wearing ones self down making one more susceptible to catching something, a change of a diet and drink one is used to or many other reasons. And then theres the occasional guest who writes about getting food poisoning from a bad meal.
In all our trips to WDW I had only once picked up a cough which worsened which made me get some meds from the resort shop. Taking both Asprin and Mucinex cleared me up by the time we got to the end of our Disney time.

 

[Lilofan]

No, of course not. Some do some dont. I'd guess a larger percentage of guests arrive and leave in fine shape than get sick. There are a variety of reasons why some guests end up ill. Arriving with something started at home but not yet feeling it, picking something up from another guest, being over active and wearing ones self down making one more susceptible to catching something, a change of a diet and drink one is used to or many other reasons. And then theres the occasional guest who writes about getting food poisoning from a bad meal.
In all our trips to WDW I had only once picked up a cough which worsened which made me get some meds from the resort shop. Taking both Asprin and Mucinex cleared me up by the time we got to the end of our Disney time.

Back in the day a housekeeper made magic for a fellow family. A guest was sick in the hotel room and chicken soup from room service and a Mickey plush was brought to the room courtesy of the resort.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Back in the day a housekeeper made magic for a fellow family. A guest was sick in the hotel room and chicken soup from room service and a Mickey plush was brought to the room courtesy of the resort.

Ah, to the good Ol' days...

 

[Eric Graham]

I was just there and we did not get sick...there is a latin phrase that you should always remember when it comes to a lot of things: Post Hoc Ergo Proctor Hoc...after this, therefore because of this...for example the assumption that event A (covid) necessarily causes event B (everyone getting sick). It just isn't true...It is a fallacy..I'm almost positive that it depends on what your immunity level to Covid is....Quite honestly, I would be more concerned with Norovirus and Listeria(which you have to clean your fridge when it happens because it can live in your fridge...)

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don't...

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I probably get sick on 10% of my Disney trips, usually something minor but I’ve also gotten the flu and stomach bugs a few times, it’s just a risk you take when you’re around tens of thousands of people every day, after flying, while walking miles a day, and not sleeping like normal… in a place that’s expensive so people still go to the parks even if they are mildly sick.

After typing that I’m surprised I don’t get sick more often at the parks.

 

[Lilofan]

I probably get sick on 10% of my Disney trips, usually something minor but I’ve also gotten the flu and stomach bugs a few times, it’s just a risk you take when you’re around tens of thousands of people every day, after flying, while walking miles a day, and not sleeping like normal… in a place that’s expensive so people still go to the parks even if they are mildly sick.

After typing that I’m surprised I don’t get sick more often at the parks.

When I used the bathrooms in the parks, I've seen little to no usage of fellow guys wash their hands after using the toilets / urinals. I still remember what I call the prison soap, the pink borax powder soap by the veins back in the day. It cleaned your hands while taking off a layer of skin.